From the Boys
Ya ever take notice when a big-shot mobster kicks the bucket and The Boys put on his fancy funeral? The size of the crowd that shows up to pay their respects says it all, my friend. It’s a reflection of the man’s stature, see? And let’s not forget those funeral wreaths, are a display of his importance. The more wreaths, the more influential the guy. And you know what those wreaths say? “From the Boys,” loud and clear.
But let’s face it, pal. The mob life ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It’s a world of murder, chaos, and spilled blood. Each of these guys left their mark on The Life, for better or worse. I ain’t here to pass judgment, just giving you the cold, hard facts or who they were, and where you can go and pay your respects.
Johnny “Dio” Dioguardi: The Mobster Who Controlled the Union Hall
Most gangsters built their power with guns, gambling parlors, and protection rackets.
Johnny “Dio” Dioguardi built...
Paul Castellano: The Quiet King Behind the Concrete Mansion
Paul Castellano did not look like the kind of gangster who needed to order a murder.
He looked like a businessman.
Behind the expensive suits,...
Harry “Happy” Maione: Murder, Inc.’s Smiling Executioner
The nickname didn’t fit the work.
Harry “Happy” Maione carried a grin that friends remembered and enemies rarely...
Jacob “Gurrah” Shapiro: The Muscle Behind the Garment District
Before the Mafia became a national institution, before Las Vegas glittered with mob money, and before organized crime perfected...
Joe Adonis: The Charming Prince of the Underworld
Joe Adonis loved luxury the way some gangsters loved violence.
Silk suits. Imported cigars. Champagne. Nightclubs glowing beneath Manhattan neon. Expensive...
Joe Profaci: The Godfather Who Ruled Through Fear, Faith, and Tribute
Joe Profaci looked less like a gangster than a stern village patriarch transported from Sicily into twentieth-century Brooklyn. He...
Carlo Gambino: The Silent Emperor of the American Mafia
Carlo Gambino understood something many gangsters never learned:
The less the public knows about you, the more dangerous you probably are.
He avoided...
Al Capone: The King of Prohibition
Al Capone became the face of American organized crime because America secretly wanted one.
He arrived at the perfect moment: a violent new century intoxicated by money,...
Vincent Gigante: The Madman Who Outsmarted the Mafia, the FBI, and America
Vincent “The Chin” Gigante wandered the streets of New York City in a bathrobe.
That was the image most Americans came to know.
Slippers...
